We'll have you in stitches in no time Discover how to* Select the right fabrics and threads* Design your masterpiece* Use quilting software* Save time with rotary cutters and other cool tools* Quilt by hand or machine* Get creative with applique

    This inspiring and encouraging book for both novice and experienced painters teaches how to create colorful, exciting, expressive paintings through a variety of techniques, combining basic, practical painting principles with innovative personal self-expression.Flora S. Bowley's fun and forgiving approach to painting is based on the notion that “You don't begin with a preconceived painting in mind; you allow the painting to unfold.” Illustrating how to work in layers, Flora gives you the freedom to cover up, re-start, wipe away, and change courses many times along the way. Unexpected and unique compositions, color combinations, and subject matter appear as you allow your paintings to emerge in an organic, unplanned way while working from a place of curiosity and letting go of fear.—Learn techniques for working with vibrant color and avoiding mud.—Make rich and varied marks with a variety of unexpected tools.—Break compositional rules.—Embrace nonattachment as a way to keep exploring.—Keep momentum by moving your body and staying positive.—Work with what's working to let go of struggle.—Connect more deeply to the world around you to stay inspired.—Embrace layers to create rich complex paintings.—Find rhythm by spiraling between chaos and order.

    Work with an arsenal of creative tools, from markers, pencils and pens to stamps, stencils, inks and paints, to find unique, intuitive ways to make your mark.Inside Doodles Unleashed, you'll learn how to:Doodle spontaneous marks, repetitive patterns, stylistic scrawls and moreCreate textured and doodled backgrounds for your mixed-media artUse photographs, vintage fabric and typography as inspirations for doodlingWork with unusual tools--skewers, toothpicks, sequin waste and more--to create surprising and unique marksDevelop a doodling style that's all your ownAnd if that isn't enough, you'll find links for additional downloads and video tutorials sprinkled throughout the pages, for even more doodle insight.With over 60 doodling techniques and exercises, you'll find plenty of ways to unleash your creative spirit and make your mark!

    Created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas, the Zentangle method is an easy-to-learn, relaxing, and fun way to create beautiful images by drawing structured patterns. The Beauty of Zentangle celebrates this simple but elegant new craft with hundreds of sensational one-of-a-kind designs from around the world.Selected by the editors of Design Originals, the #1 publisher of Zentangle art, this amazing collection of Zentangle-inspired masterpieces encompasses a wide range of styles. Stunning works are included from breakthrough artists and CZTs like Suzanne McNeill, Cindy Shepard, Marie Browning, Sandy Steen Bartholomew, and many more. Their inventive tangles are at the forefront of a new wave of creative expression and personal freedom.

    The Art of Urban Sketching is both a comprehensive guide and a showcase of location drawings by artists around the world who draw the cities where they live and travel.

    Readers are shown how the interplay of complementary hues can trigger vibrations; how the push and pull of warm and cool colors can create a feeling of space; how to disguise one color in a scene to accent another; and many more tidbits of colorful advice.

    There's nothing like the feeling of completing a project using beautiful fabrics and great timesaving tools and then sharing it with your family and friends. Plus, learning to sew will save you money too! Before long, you'll be stitching your own hems, repairing split seams, sewing on buttons, and much, much more. Sewing For Dummies is a book for both absolute beginners and experienced sewers. If you're a stone-cold beginner, you'll find everything you need to know to sew beginning-level projects--and the book doesn't assume that you've ever even picked up a needle and thread before. If you've had some experience with sewing, you'll find tips and tricks that it took author Janice Saunders Maresh, a nationally known sewing and serging instructor, years to pick up! You'll discover how to:Master hand and machine stitches Read a sewing pattern Hem a variety of fabrics Negotiate sleeves and pockets Install zippers, buttons, and other fasteners Shape garments with tucks and pleats Adjust projects for better fit and function This updated edition features a fresh 8-page color insert of all the new home decorating projects, including new patterns and instructions for a traditional living room with slipcovered couches and throws; a French country dining room with drapes and slipcovered chairs; and a bedroom with shams, duvets, dustruffles, and window treatments, as well as:a bathroom with a shower curtain and towels hip and funky tote bags the perfect little black dress Complete with lists of quick fix-it tools, sewing fundamentals, and sewing resources, Sewing For Dummies, 2nd Edition, is the fun and easy way(R) to get the basics and stitch up a storm in no time!

    The stylish design of this book, along with the interior photographs, illustrations and diagrams, make the learning process simple and fun for beginning painters and provides useful tips for more advanced artists.This book is divided into three sections. In the first section, you will find practical advice on choosing the necessary tools and equiopment as well as hints on mixing colors€”one of the trickier skills to master until you have learned some of the basic properties of color. Next, the techniques used in watercolor painting are explained in detail, from the most basic like laying washes and reserving highlights to some of the more unusual and exciting methods like wax-resist or spattering paint. Tutorials and more than 100 step-by-step sequences demonstrate how to paint a wide range of subjects, including landscapes, buildings, people and still life. Over 180,000 copies sold worldwide.

    Inside you will learn how to:Create paintings brimming with color using transparent layering techniquesInnovate with masking materials to create crisp edges and eye-catching light effectsUse tone and contrast to bring your paintings to lifePacked with practical information for using color and light, Paint Watercolors that Dance with Light will transform your art.

    With your digital camera, you canSee immediately whether you got the shot you wanted Take dozens of photos to be sure you get what you want, and just delete the ones you don't like Edit and enhance your pictures on your computer E-mail images to friends, post them on the Web, make prints, or create photo gifts The more you know about your digital camera and about digital photography, the more you'll enjoy taking pictures and the better your pictures will be. Of course, the best way to see examples of good photographic techniques is in full color, and Digital Photography For Dummies, 5th Edition gives you exactly that -- plenty of beautiful, colorful photos that show you what you can accomplish and start the ideas popping.With a digital camera, a computer, and some photo-editing software, you can explore unlimited creative opportunities. You don't have to be a computer whiz or a professional photographer, either. Digital Photography For Dummies, 5th Edition helps you get the hang ofChoosing the right camera, software, and accessories for what you want to do Editing your images with Adobe Photoshop Elements 3.0 Using your camera's settings, composing great pictures, managing exposure and lighting, and working with automatic modes Getting your images out of the camera and onto your computer, organizing them, and sharing them online or in print Doing cool things with your pictures, like sharpening focus, covering flaws, adding people from other photos, and jazzing up your images with special effects Written by Julie Adair King, a photographer who has penned several other books on the subject, colorful Digital Photography For Dummies, 5th Edition can help you take better digital photos, do more with them, and have a lot more fun with your camera. You'll get the picture!

    This book is for all these people—it's an engaging and intimate glimpse into the personal pages of a wide variety of select artists and journal keepers whose works not only provide visual delight and inspiration but evidence the intensity and devotion that such personal journals invite.

    Imagine a supportive community of artists sharing the innermost pages of their sketchbooks and offering you tips and techniques for overcoming creative blocks. That's what The Sketchbook Challenge is all about, and the popular blog of the same name has already inspired thousands. Inside this book, you'll find:   · Themes that will motivate you to start your sketchbook—and, more important, keep at it · Tutorials spotlighting such mixed-media techniques as thread sketching, painted papers for collage, digital printing, and much more · Strategies to get off the sketchbook page and start creating inspired art—whether you're into painting, collage, fiber art, or beyond. · In-depth profiles of artists who have taken the Sketchbook Challenge and used it as a launching pad for their own meaningful artwork

    A practical easy-to-follow guide, which shows how to observe and draw portraits of children and adults - and how to capture a likeness.

    

    You'll learn how to explore the use of color theory in abstraction and to use underpainting to bring structure and depth to your art. In addition you'll begin to understand how to work in a series and how this can help you develop your own personal style. A sampling of what you'll add to your creative toolbox: Pastel and acrylic techniques to use to complete your own paintings The benefits of expressing your ideas abstractly How to loosen up by using your nondominant hand and drawing to music Ways to express emotions through mark-making Using color and symbolism for expression Working with photos for inspiration Tips for using color studies Step into your own abstract frame of mind today!